contemporary

Because You Are Mine by Beth Kery

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne
Because You Are Mine: The Complete Novel (Because You Are Mine, #1-8)
Grade: B+
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: High Kink
Genre: Contemporary, BDSM
Series: Because You Are Mine #1-8
Published: March 2013
Reviewed by Kate
400 pages 
 
Ian, über-richy rich Dom, is an ass.  He’s all about control.  Controlling his business, controlling his employees, controlling every aspect of his life.  He has no time or interest in love.  Francesca, sweet, innocent Francesca is a painter.  She’s won a contest to paint a painting for Ian’s newest building.  And, being this is a romance, sparks of attraction fly when they first meet.  But despite being in control of his life, Ian can’t control the way his thoughts keep returning to Francesca.  So what’s a poor controlling Dom to do?  Ian will control everything about their sexual interactions, including when their interludes will end.  He acknowledges that they will both probably get hurt, but he just can’t turn away.  In exchange, Francesca will get pleasure and experience.  But just when Ian has reached the pinnacle of asshood, you discover why he is the way he is, and you, along with Francesca, fall in love with him.
 
I don’t think I’ve ever been so enthralled by such an ass of a hero before, but I really just couldn’t stop reading.  Francesca manages to walk that fine line between submission and doormat.  The author does a good job of showing us the torment Ian faces in his relationship with Francesca.  How he’s trying to protect his heart and trying to not be a complete ass.
 
This was originally written and released in 8 separate parts.  I’m glad that I read the complete novel, because I can’t imagine having to wait for the next installment to be released.  I’m not of huge fan of serialization as I tend to get sucked in and end up spending too much time and money on the whole series.
 
Do you have any serializations to recommend?  Are you a fan of the format or not?

Protecting What’s His by Tessa Bailey

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Protecting What's His (Line of Duty, #1)
Grade-A
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink-Level-No Kink
Series-Line of Duty #1
Genre-Romantic Suspense
Reviewed by Kay
273 pages

Quote of the book for me- “Let me clear. I want you underneath me in my bed. I want to be buried inside you so deep I have to remind you of your own name. And I want those motherfuckers leering at you from the other side of the bar to smell me on you for a week afterward.”

Derek is a lieutenant in the Chicago P.D. who is a bit of a control freak. Ginger comes from a very troubled background. They end up being neighbors after Ginger and her sister flee Nashville looking for a better life. Their initial interaction with each other isn’t very good because Derek is being a douche. From that point on, this becomes a hotter than fire love story. I loved both people even with their faults and learning about their pasts was both intriguing and heart breaking.

This was my first Tessa Bailey book but not my last. I love a streetwise heroine and a dirty talking hero. Throw in a little suspense with the hot sex and I’ve found myself a new author! If you haven’t read her yet, you should get started.

Drawn Together by Lauren Dane

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Drawn Together (Brown Siblings, #6)

Grade: A
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: Moderate Kink
Genre: Contemporary
Published: 10/1/13
Reviewed by Anne
304 pages
 
Raven is a tough tattoo artist who can be very hard to like.  She’s got a prickly protective shell that not many bother to work through.  Jonah Warner is a single dad whose only child is growing up and has moved away from home.  He’s ready to look for a relationship and Raven intrigues him, and their chemistry is off the charts.  
 
(Here’s my favorite quote)
When he got this woman naked they were going to set shit on fire. (p. 28)
 
OK, disclaimer first, this series is a favorite of mine.  We’re talking top 3, maybe my favorite of all time.  So, I certainly went in predisposed to enjoying this book, and it was no surprise to me that I loved it.  I’ll try to explain why.
 
This is a low conflict book.  There’s not a lot holding Jonah and Raven apart.  Not much they have to overcome, except Raven’s internal issues.  This is my favorite kind of book.  I love the slow but sure journey as they move from instant lust to falling in love.  They talk with each other – so there’s no conflict created by their lack of communication.  It’s wonderful to watch them grow closer and closer.
 
This is a well written book.  It’s clever and funny in parts.  Hot in parts.  It made my heart ache in parts.  It took me away from everything and made me not what to go back!  
 
This is an extremely hot book.  I think Lauren Dane writes scorching sex scenes, and this book is a great example.  I also really enjoyed that Jonah and Raven came together in a Dom/sub relationship that didn’t require a kinky club or anything over the top.  From the moment they started moving in a sexual direction, you could see that Raven liked to be subservient to him.  This is a stark contrast to how she is with everyone else in her life.  Jonah is not an experienced Dom, but he’s learning what he likes, and Raven trips all his triggers in a very good way.  I think it was different than other things I’ve read because it didn’t come off like they were playing a scene, more like they were letting their true personalities show, and this was how they clicked together.
 
I would have liked to see them talk through some of their Dom/sub behavior a bit more.  It’s hard for me to buy that they slipped into these rolls so effortlessly.  I certainly think there should be some  amount of discussion before trying a new toy.  That it worked for them so effortlessly and that they never had a problem stepping over each other’s boundaries… that was a bit unrealistic for me.
 
There are some family issues in the book that I don’t want to give detail on, as I believe they would be spoilers, but I really liked the way they were handled.  Families are messy and not perfect.  You don’t always get a neat and tidy ending.  That’s done well in this book.
 
This book is 6th in the series.  It would probably stand alone, but I think you’d get more out of it by reading the series in order.  Raven has been in every book so far, and she was often in the roll of villain.  Her character is well established and it’s consistent throughout the series, including this book.  I love that Dane can take the feisty/prickly/bitchiness normally reserved for secondary characters and KEEP it even when the Raven moves to being the main character.
 
I highly recommend this book.  It’s a Best of 2013 read for me!

Do you have an all time favorite series?  Or are you like me with one or two favorites in each genre?